The quote is highlighting the nature of bibliographic control is changing because the nature of information sources is changing. It is accepting that not all information is now in physical format. In the past, to access the information meant to access the physical object that held the information, be it a book, film, audio tape, map ... but now to access the information it is possible to get it digitally, which in a way is the pure content, without a physical form. Hensen is saying that because of this, cataloguing should focus on the content itself more than anything else.
The content itself, i.e. subject, is of foremost importance mainly because that is the way that most people seek information. However, we still need to access the "object" even if that object is digital. We still need to know where the object is, even if the "where" is simply a URL. And we still need to know what format the information is in, be it text, audio, pictorial.
I agree that the focus should be on the actual content of the work itself . However there are particular characteristics of specific resource types to take into account when applying principles of bibliographic control. The most useful information needs to be recorded about the resource, especially in terms of how and where it is accessed. This is for practical reasons, the enquirer needs to know this information- there is no point knowing what the content of the item is if they don’t know how or where to access it.
It seems more important now to be specific by providing intellectual access with more detailed descriptions - It is a more inclusive approach reaching an ever increasing audience.
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